Metrolites content to make their kind of music

By Sean Leary, sleary@qconline.com

It's a sultry Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of people in downtown Rock Island are drinking, dancing and listening to Caribbean music. Blocks away, though, it's tense at Brass Sail Studios, where the Metrolites are recording their debut compact disc.

Scott Morschhauser peers through horn-rimmed glasses at the papers before him. Each "to do" list contains detailed, typewritten notes of musical goals. Not many have been crossed off yet.

To his right, producer Mark Johnson twirls and nudges knobs on a mammoth console. Kathleen Gallager gazes over his shoulder, biting her lip. Neal Smith nervously swings the saxophone slung around his neck.

"You ready?" Mr. Johnson asks Mr. Morschhauser. "Yeah," he responds.

At the push of a button, drums, guitars and vocals fill the room. A saxophone begins to intrude, screeching like a siren and then fading away.

This is the seventh time everyone in the room has heard this snippet of music. After multiple takes, Mr. Smith's notes have met the satisfaction of the group.

Mr. Morschhauser crosses a line off the list.

"This is all we've still got to do," he says, flipping through the sheets with a laugh. "But it's actually moving along really well. We've definitely come prepared."

* * *

That's no surprise, considering the pedigree of the band and the respect its musicians command in the Quad-Cities music scene. Mr. Morschhauser, 40, and Mr. Smith, 41, have been playing together for more than a decade, since they formed The Kabalas in 1994. After that group disbanded, they moved on to other projects -- including The Anachronistics and Catseye -- before settling in as The Metrolites in 2002.

They've solidified the Metros lineup with stellar musicians: Ms. Gallagher, 23, on guitar; Josh Duffee, 25, on drums; and Devin Kirby-Hansen, 21, on bass.

The band has become one of the hottest acts in the Quad-Cities. As house band of the Copia Martini Bar in The District, and at other area venues, they regularly draw capacity crowds.

After honing their sound, they headed into Brass Sail to record their debut CD, "The Metrolites in Spy-Fi."

"We figured it was time -- we ain't gettin' any younger," Mr. Morschhauser said with a laugh.

Now available at local CoOp, Borders, Barnes and Noble and Music-Go-Round stores, the CD is a buoyant trip through musical genres, a testament to the band's talent and inventiveness.

However, in July and August, it was merely a series of trips to the studio, lines to be crossed off the "to do" list, multiple takes to be recorded and mixed until the sound was just so.

It was the fourth time Mr. Morschhauser and Mr. Smith had recorded a CD together. Their age and experience added to The Metrolites' professionalism in the studio. The recording stints were mapped out beforehand and executed with an unrelenting dedication to excellence.

None of the musicians harbors any illusions of being the next band to break it big in an MTV world, Mr. Morschhauser says. They just want to bring their music to life, which makes all the difference in their approach.

"Of course we'd love to have millions of people buy the record," he says, "but we want it to be our record. We want to create the kind of music we'd want to listen to."

That music is hard to define. The Metrolites' sound is a melange of tiki lounge tunes, acid jazz, r&b, rock, bizarro pop, punk and even a little groovy '60s spy/surf action.

Songwriting is a collaborative experience, Mr. Morschhauser says, and their studio time reflects that cooperation. While they've come prepared with gig-tested songs, the studio offers the ability to layer tracks, add effects and capture any creative sparks that flare.

"Whatever ends up sounding the best is what we go with," Mr. Smith says.

* * *

That evening, after listening to a semi-final mix of a tune, The Metrolites leave the studio.

Mr. Morschhauser pauses outside Brass Sail and looks toward The District, as a breeze brings the sounds of reggae and aromas of spicy food.

"Boy, I could use a martini," he says as he walks to his car. "We've been here since 8 this morning."

He instead decides to go home and get some rest. But as he gets in his car, he starts to describe the artwork for the upcoming CD. That leads to a chat about the music itself, and he's buzzing with enthusiasm again.

His words are a little quicker, his gestures a little grander as he paints a picture only he can see right now, one he can't wait to share.

Copyright 2004, Moline Dispatch Publishing Co.